My Story and Experience with the Sharper Minds program. As a 54-year-old career RN, I finally had to face up to some subtle and not-so subtle learning and performance issues that had haunted me for a good part of my life, surfacing more strongly in my 40’s and 50’s.

Even though in earlier school years, I seemed to do okay academically, I habitually took a rather round-about route to get results. Procrastination was evident in my study-habits. I generally started with some half-hearted, unfocused scattered efforts which were followed by pulling “all-night” cram sessions prior to deadlines or tests. This was my style which even though stressful, I knew of no other way.

But when the knowledge was put to the real-life performance test in the context of a demanding and busy career as a hospital nurse, it exposed certain learning and performance deficiencies. I struggled to hear, transcribe, and follow doctors’ orders accurately. I often did not prioritize, multi-task, or sequence tasks altogether right. Frequently, I had the sinking inner feeling that I had left something important undone. Even for some of the tasks calling for physical coordination, I felt clumsy and inept. But I always felt very accountable and was a hard worker logging in many long hours, and so I fell back on my work ethic to forge through it. With prayers for God’s help and added years of the experience, I eventually grew into a more seasoned nurse, settled into a basic job, and it meant the world to me!

I eventually got my hopes up and took the risk of applying for a stepped-up responsibility in a higher acuity setting. Since I qualified academically, I was given the chance. In short order however, some of the same repeated problem areas showed up, but with even more stress. My communication difficulties showed up with both doctors and coworker nurses. I felt humiliated to be sent back to my original job, my feelings crushed and my self-esteem rather bruised. Yet I was thankful to at least have my previous job.

This provided the impetus to contact Sharper Minds regarding their mental performance program. I felt I owed it to myself, the company I worked for, and ultimately, the vulnerable patients I serve, to be evaluated and see if the program could help me. I found some good clues in the evaluation report that opened my eyes to my Adult Attention Deficit Disorder and auditory discrimination difficulties/dyslexia and other processing difficulties.

Yet, again I procrastinated, and “coasted along” in the old familiar nurse role, albeit a bit less secure, and less willing to take risks. However a few years later, another “wake-up” call came in the form of a manager who kindly confronted me in a private work-counseling meeting with a concern. It had been noticed and reported that I displayed communication issues, speech hesitancies, word-finding problems, and quietness, interpreted as social ineptness and isolation. I had quietly hoped that none of this would be noticeable, but indeed it was. I mumbled something about being tired, distracted and stressed lately, and was let “off the hook” for the moment.

But after that, I wasted no further time and contacted Sharper Minds®. I spoke with Ed Meelhuysen, founder and primary trainer who updated me on a long-distance option with guided telephone sessions to help me through the Sharper Minds Program. Given that Sharper Minds is based in Texas, anything else would have been otherwise inaccessible to me in Oregon. That option would fit my work/lifestyle and was affordable. Although it was quite a time and effort commitment for a busy full-time nurse, I felt that it would be worth it. I didn’t want to keep bumping into continued hindrances to my living, working, learning and “less-than-best” human interactions. Only I could do something about these painfully repeated problems.

For the next 10 ½ months, I committed myself to a rigorous schedule of home-based cognitive mental performance and exercises, and was accountable for twice-a-month assignment check-ins and demonstrations of what I had learned, both verbally and via fax’ed in work sheets.

I gave the program modules a sincere effort, with daily assignments in various modules learned in sequential fashion, including balance work, visual memory-building, hand-eye coordination/motor tracking, sequencing, distraction work, fine motor skill development, and a unique method of reading development. Even though some of the activities initially seemed childish for me as an adult, I found the work was actually fun and made me feel more alert. I was eventually able to retrieve and process information more easily, remember more, and speak more quickly, even in spite of distractions. I also worked to develop auditory discrimination skills, training my ears and brain to listen well. The exercises are designed to integrate both sides of the brain, stimulating both gross and fine motor cortices to function efficiently and synergistically in the process of enhancing learning, memory and coordination, all in a fun way.

Probably the most noticeable area of improvement has been in my speech communication. My speech fluency, thinking of the right words to say, pronunciation, as well as my memory and attention to detail has markedly improved. As a result, my communication skills and even leadership on the job has improved, so now I am used as a charge nurse/leader and new nurse preceptor much more often.

My reading speed and comprehension has vastly improved [Editorial note: she went from reading around 200 words per minute to around 800 words per minute], as is my ability to mentally process and think more accurately without my brain freezing up. As was suggested by my Sharper Minds evaluator, for my reading practice near the beginning, I selected a useful book: ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life, by Kohlberg & Nadeau. I read and gleaned much more understanding of the pitfalls I was vulnerable to, along with strategies for organizing my career work and home life.

My trainer Ed was always very professional, well-balanced, insightful, patient, kindly supportive, and, and holistically challenging of me in diverse areas of attitude, integrity, faith, physical health, nutrition and rest, as well as the core program material. It was obvious that the ancillary materials, the supportive book(s), audio-visual materials, and Program Success Principles all work together well. It is apparent that he and his co-founder wife (an M.D.) have done much research in developing this program, have successfully worked the program within their own family, and honed it with hundreds of client families since 1999.

I definitely feel that learning and practicing the Sharper Minds program and its underlying principles have given me a big boost in my overall mental efficiency. As an aging “boomer”, I believe that integrating these principles into my life is going to position me well, even as I eventually retire from active hospital nursing. I hope to continue practicing many of the program activities, techniques, and principles. I find that I am motivated to continue learning, and feel my self-confidence rising.

I highly recommend the Sharper Minds program for other adults concerned about memory and cognitive processing difficulties in any setting.

Phyllis B., RN, Albany, Oregon